Squirrelly noir sets fun tone for 'Nut Job'

Published 1:30 pm, Thursday, January 16, 2014

This image released by Open Road Films shows Surly, voiced by Will Arnett, in a scene from "The Nut Job." (AP Photo/Open Road Films)

This image released by Open Road Films shows Surly, voiced by Will Arnett, in a scene from "The Nut Job." (AP Photo/Open Road Films)

Photo: HOEP

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Surly, left, voiced by Will Arnett, and Precious the Pug, voiced by Maya Rudolph, have competing goals in "The Nut Job."

Surly, left, voiced by Will Arnett, and Precious the Pug, voiced by Maya Rudolph, have competing goals in "The Nut Job."

Photo: HOEP

Image 3 of 9

This image released by Open Road Films shows Surly, voiced by Will Arnett, in a scene from "The Nut Job." (AP Photo/Open Road Films)

This image released by Open Road Films shows Surly, voiced by Will Arnett, in a scene from "The Nut Job." (AP Photo/Open Road Films)

Photo: HOEP

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This image released by Open Road Films shows, Andie, voiced by Katherine Heigl, left, and Surly, voiced by Will Arnett, in a scene from "The Nut Job." (AP Photo/Open Road Films)

This image released by Open Road Films shows, Andie, voiced by Katherine Heigl, left, and Surly, voiced by Will Arnett, in a scene from "The Nut Job." (AP Photo/Open Road Films)

Photo: HOEP

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This image released by Open Road Films shows Surly, voiced by Will Arnett, left, and Raccoon, voiced by Liam Neeson, in a scene from "The Nut Job." (AP Photo/Open Road Films)

This image released by Open Road Films shows Surly, voiced by Will Arnett, left, and Raccoon, voiced by Liam Neeson, in a scene from "The Nut Job." (AP Photo/Open Road Films)

Photo: HOEP

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This image released by Open Road Films shows Buddy, voiced by Robert Tinkler, in a scene from "The Nut Job." (AP Photo/Open Road Films)

This image released by Open Road Films shows Buddy, voiced by Robert Tinkler, in a scene from "The Nut Job." (AP Photo/Open Road Films)

Photo: HOEP

Image 7 of 9

This image released by Open Road Films shows Raccoon, voiced by Liam Neeson, in a scene from "The Nut Job." (AP Photo/Open Road Films)

This image released by Open Road Films shows Raccoon, voiced by Liam Neeson, in a scene from "The Nut Job." (AP Photo/Open Road Films)

Photo: HOEP

Image 8 of 9

This image released by Open Road Films shows Andie, voiced by Katherine Heigl, in a scene from "The Nut Job." (AP Photo/Open Road Films)

This image released by Open Road Films shows Andie, voiced by Katherine Heigl, in a scene from "The Nut Job." (AP Photo/Open Road Films)

Photo: HOEP

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Squirrelly noir sets fun tone for 'Nut Job'

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"The Nut Job" is forgettably mediocre, but it's not atrocious, and that represents a small victory during this January dumping ground for kid movies.

Bodily-function jokes abound, there's an over-reliance on violent slapstick to get laughs, and the musical number is set to "Gangnam Style." And, the lead character has almost no redeeming qualities. Nevertheless, someone cared enough to give a movie about a squirrel that handles dynamite some subtle noir-ish qualities. The little things matter if your kid has zero cinematic taste and wants to go to the movies every other week.

Our hero is a squirrel named Surly, whose complicated schemes threaten a community of nut-gathering critters that live in a park. A foodstuff-related disaster leads to banishment from the community. And before you can ask, "How is this any different than "A Bug's Life'?" … he must form an eclectic group of allies to make things right.

The film's best quality is the much more original parallel story: Surly and friends are scheming to rob a big city nut store, which is also the safe house for a crew of gangsters who want to rob a nearby bank. Their goals intersect in clever ways, much of it involving a pug (voiced by Maya Rudolph) that plays both sides.

More Information

'The Nut Job'

Rated PG: for mild action and rude humor

Running time: 86 minutes

xx½

"The Nut Job" was written and directed by Peter Lepeniotis, whose source material is his own 2005 animated short "Surly Squirrel." Even at just 86 minutes, the attempt to stretch out the material is apparent. There are too many supporting characters, and action scenes go on and on to near-Peter Jackson/"The Hobbit" proportions.

Voiced by Will Arnett, Surly is less sympathetic than most children's movie protagonists, but that's a relief. His antihero attitude blends nicely with the noir-ish dialogue, which is already in contrast with the unusually bright and sun-kissed visuals.

Overall, the movie looks pretty good in 3-D, considering its bargain budget by mainstream animated-film standards. Someone spent time making the architecture and production design match the late-1950s era of the story.

Liam Neeson is once again a capable-sounding authority figure as the group's leader. Even playing an animated raccoon, you get the impression Neeson could battle a pack of wolves and still have time to take down an Albanian human trafficking ring.